Halloween weekend is upon us. If you need a fun place to kick it, don’t immediately head off campus. There are plenty of fun events on campus from now until Oct. 31 that are free for students to attend.
“Students have been planning these projects for weeks, and they’ll be well executed,” University Housing program coordinator Heather Haskell@@http://housing.uoregon.edu/about/profile.php?staff_id=141@@ said.
There are several movie nights planned around campus as well as karaoke on Friday night in Common Grounds Cafe. Other events like the Bean Complex trick-or-treating and carnival, International Student Association dance in Carson, Hamilton Haunted House and “The Silence of the Lambs” screening are activities that University Housing has been putting on successfully for years. For a complete list of campus Halloween events, visit halloween.uoregon.edu.@@checks out@@
Children from the community who are in kindergarten through third grade are invited to trick-or-treat in Bean Complex and attend a carnival in Bean’s Debusk TV Room from 4 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 31. The carnival will feature face painting, pumpkin painting, cookie decorating, story time, a photo booth and puppet making.@@halloween.uoregon.edu@@
“The more things we have going on on campus is good from a community standpoint,” interim assistant Hamilton complex director Josh Burks@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Burks@@ said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the University and University Housing to connect to the outside community.”
Students can use the Bean Halloween events as a way to meet community members outside their normal circle and as an opportunity to volunteer.
The ISA dance in Carson, scheduled for Oct. 29, has been well-attended over the last few years, according to Burks. It’s a great way for students to meet and have fun with international students. This year the dance will also feature a photo booth and fortune teller.@@halloween.uoregon.edu@@
The Hamilton Haunted House runs both Oct. 28 and 29 from 8 p.m. to midnight.@@halloween.uoregon.edu@@
“It’s the perfect time of year when people get in the mood to get scared,” Burks said. “Our student staff are very imaginative in picturing what it will look like.”
This year the Hamilton Haunted House’s theme is zombies.
“It was something we could do a lot of things with,” said senior resident assistant Allisha Damman,@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Allisha+Damman@@ who has worked on organizing the haunted house.
Resident assistants and regular students involved in planning the Hamilton Haunted House were able to explore activities like logistical planning, lighting, makeup and costuming.
Students will have the chance to walk through the basement of Hamilton and into a world of zombies. Zombies coming back to life, zombies breaking out of jail — even a zombie detector to tell whether you’re fully human.@@cool!@@
“A lot of these projects are put on by RAs, the Residence Hall Association, complex government and students living in the residence halls,” Haskell said. “We couldn’t do it without the students.”
Political science major Scott Leedy@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Scott+Leedy+@@ is one such student. Leedy has been involved in planning “The Silence of the Lambs” viewing on Oct. 30 in the LLC Performance Hall.@@halloween.uoregon.edu@@ Building on last year’s success, Leedy got behind bringing the screening back.
“It’s a fun project to have during Halloween week,” Leedy said.
“The Silence of the Lambs” is a psychological thriller that fits in well with the scared, jumpy feeling people seek out during Halloween. When students go to the screening, they will also have the chance to hear professor Dan Close@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Close@@ give a lecture and answer questions on criminal psychology.
“I think it offers a window into that,” Leedy said of the lecture, “which is not something we often get to explore.” Last year, the Q-and-A section ran a little long because students were so interested in the topic.
“People really like that movie,” he said. “To go deeper into it is kind of cool.”
The campus Halloween events put on by University Housing give students the chance to change up their normal weekend plans with free, holiday-themed activities close to home.
“It engages them in opportunities to do different things than they usually do,” Burks said of students.
Halloween weekend in Eugene has been known for acts of vandalism, potential illegal events and unsafe situations. With its campus events, University Housing is seeking to provide an alternative.
“A lot of the housing programs are trying to keep people safe,” Damman said.